Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. A misheard or misunderstood lyric, which gives the song a completely different meaning than originally intended. v. To misinterpret a song because you "hear" different words than the ones actually being sung.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Misconsturpulate
Created by: hyperborean
Pronunciation: mis-con-sterp-you-layt
Sentence: History Lesson: Dylan didn't want people to misconsturpulate "Subterranean Homesick Blues," so he wrote key lyrics on flash cards and displayed them during the song ... and filmed the whole thing. The music video was born.
Etymology: misconstrue (to misinterpret) + extrapolate (to infer [unknown information] from known information) + my quirky spelling and pronunciation sound funnier
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
flawless, once again, word, etymology, and as always the sentence - DrWebster111, 2009-05-06: 00:31:00
----------------------------
Mystlyrical
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: mist/leer/i/cal
Sentence: One of the funniest mystlyricals I've heard was an interpretation of a line from the Eagles Hotel California 'On a dark desert highway, cool whip in my hair'
Etymology: mystical (secret)+ lyric + missed
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
It's a lot like verbotomy...You can check out, but you can never leave! - Nosila, 2009-05-05: 22:17:00
----------------------------
Melohdear
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: mel o deer
Sentence: Jackie Chan was motivated by a 1966 hit by Johnny Rivers. He said it inspired him to play the tough guys in all his many movies. While learning the English language, the melohdear which inspired his career was "Secret Asian Man"!
Etymology: Melody (tune;musical notes in sequence) & Oh Dear (worrying phrase when something goes wrong, like Oh, My;Oh, Drat, etc)
Oopsydittie
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: oōpsēditē
Sentence: Everybody was used to hearing Jeff humming his favorite song as he went through his day. What they didn’t know until last Saturday night at the karaoke was that Jeff’s head contained an oopsydittie. As he belted out his fave, his friends realized he hadn’t gotten a single lyric right.
Etymology: oops (used to show recognition of a mistake or minor accident, often as part of an apology) + upsy-daisy (used to express encouragement to a child who has fallen or is being lifted) + dittie (a short simple song)
Adversapropism
Created by: emdeejay
Pronunciation: Add verse à propism
Sentence: Wayne was of those amateur guitarists who seemed to know only half the words of the songs in his repertoire. When he gave his son an impromptu rendition of what he *thought* was "Sonny Be Good", his wife gave him the nickname "Dog Berry"
Etymology: Verse: component of a song that isn't a chorus. Malapropism: misuse of words, often humorously. Adverse: That doesn't sound quite right does it?
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
clever combo - Jabberwocky, 2009-05-05: 11:13:00
----------------------------
Mimicrong
Created by: dekra
Pronunciation: mimikrong
Sentence: "'Wrapped up like a douche,'scuse me while I kiss this guy, A wizard or a whale.' you mimicrong constantly Brad!" "I never mimicrong! I saw it in a movie Sam, he defintiely says 'She was a fax machine, she kept her modem clean.' AC/DC was named after computer parts!"
Etymology: Mimic(To Coppy) + Wrong(Incorrect)
Mondegreen
Created by: theodrixx
Pronunciation: Mawn-deh-green
Sentence: I discovered a mondegreen just the other day; I heard Jimi Hendrix's lyrics in Purple Haze, "excuse me while I kiss the sky" as being "excuse me while I kiss this guy."
Etymology: Named for an instance of this phenomenon during a reading of a poem, where in the line "and laid him on the green" was heard as "and Lady Mondegreen."
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
nice one - galwaywegian, 2010-11-17: 18:52:00
----------------------------
Answerblowsinyourwind
Created by: abrakadeborah
Pronunciation: An-sir-blows-in-your-wind
Sentence: Dylan,sings as people hear Answerblowsinyourwind missing the meaning.
Etymology: Answer: A reply to another person or people by singing or speaking or as a written reply,as to a question. Blows: To cause to move by means of a current of by expeling (air) from the mouth as in singing. In: Located inside;inner,incoming; inward.(such as in your mind in your ears or memory) Your:Of, belonging to, or associated with you. Wind:Moving air carrying sound (In this case lyrics of music that blows like a wind through your mind as you process what you think you are hear. Such as > "The Answer My Twin Is Bowling In The Bin" :)~
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
that was an exhausting etymology but worth getting to the end to read the last bit - Jabberwocky, 2009-05-05: 11:17:00
Ah come on Jabber...you know you have enough time to read...LOL! OK JUST foryou I broke it down to a smaller etymology :) Thx though for liking atleast part of it :)) I can't help I'm a detailed artist...hehehe - abrakadeborah, 2009-05-06: 06:58:00
----------------------------
Ballbadear
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: bahl bad eeeer
Sentence: his hearing loss turned him into a ballbadear, but when he first heard "tangled up in poo" he became a dylanquent
Etymology: balladeer, bad ear
Eddievedderizm
Created by: BeauKnows
Pronunciation: Eddie-Vedder-Iz-Um
Sentence: One day in 1992 a man named Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready wrote a hit song called yellow ledbetter. "Did he just say wizard or a whale?" "Box or a bag?" Or "Potato waven?" Who cares its EddieVedderizm.
Etymology: Eddie + Vedder + Izm
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by mrskellyscl (misinterpreted words) and by abrakadeborah (misinterpreted meanings). And of course, by Bob Dylan's classic song about doing the laundry -- Blowing in the Wind ~ James
abrakadeborah - 2009-05-05: 01:02:00
Thank you James~ Cartoon was great! & To mrskellyscl,Oh how I can relate to that one! I have an ex boyfriend that no matter what song he hears NONE of the words match as he tries to sing along! Too funny! :) LOL
Today's definition was suggested by mrskellyscl. Thank you mrskellyscl. ~ James